Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Romania’s National Day - Great Union Day- was celebrated in Azerbaijani capital Baku.

The Romanian Embassy in Azerbaijan organized an event on the occasion of the country’s national day.

Speaking at the event, Daniel Cristian Ciobanu, Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan briefed the participants about the history of the country’s national holiday. He said 96 years have passed since Great Union Day, December 1st, 1918, the day when Romanian provinces of Transilvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures united with Romanian Kingdom, noting that it was a day which opened the way to modern Romania.

He further spoke about the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Romania. “I want to express my appreciation for the excellent level of relations between Romania and Azerbaijan which is based on the Strategic Partnership established at top level in 2009,” he said.

Ambassador Ciobanu said Romania and Azerbaijan are successfully implementing the measures included in the Action Plan of the Strategic Partnership, signed in 2011, in all fields: Political dialogue, economic cooperation and investment, cooperation in the fields of energy and security, cooperation in multilateral framework, development of human contacts and cooperation in the field of culture.

“The dynamic dialogue and very good cooperation between the Presidents of Romania and Azerbaijan have contributed to the flourishing development of relations between the two countries. Under the new president elected in November 2014, Romania will continue to be a strong partner of Azerbaijan,” he said.

Ambassador Ciobanu went on to say that Romania is interested in deepening the economic cooperation with Azerbaijan through implementation of substantial projects, including attracting Azerbaijani investment to Romania and development of the interconnector Azerbaijan – Georgia – Romania – Hungary. He added that the discussions held by the Romanian prime minister in Baku in June 2013 and June 2014 are an excellent platform for the development of cooperation projects in the economic field.

“I want also to highlight the opportunities created at the regional level by the project of the transport corridor between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, using the advantage held out by the port of Constanta and Danube River for ensuring access to markets in Europe,” Ambassador Ciobanu said.

He noted that Bucharest will continue to support development and deepening of Azerbaijan’s relations with NATO. “In this context I would like to underline that the Embassy of Romania in Baku is exercising, for the third time in a row, the mandate of NATO Contact Point Embassy,” he said.

Ambassador Ciobanu added that Romania reiterates its support for Azerbaijan in developing cooperation with European Union and the role that Azerbaijan can play in ensuring European energy security.

“I am fully convinced that with concerted efforts by both sides, our cooperation will achieve further development to make significant contribution to the building of a bright future,” he said.

Azerbaijan and Romania have a long history of relations dating back to the 15th century.

While the two sides enjoy good cooperation in multiple areas, the main focus has been on trade and energy links, with trade delegations and frequent talks on further development of such ties and an increase in bilateral trade since trade originating from Azerbaijan approximately five times more than ($161 million) of those from Romania ($31.83 million).

Romania also has been a strong advocate of Azerbaijan's future membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), pointing out the strategic importance of the country for trade and shipping, particularly with a view towards Afghanistan.